Vienna: Castle Day

Upper Belvedere Palace

Germany and Austria are home to many castles and palaces that were once home to royalty and dignitaries.  Many of these exquisite buildings are now museums (none of which we went inside because we were in a hurry to see as much as we possibly could).  We dubbed our second, and last, full day in Vienna: Castle Day.

Before heading out to see the castles, we went up to Kahlenberg, a mountain located in the 19th district of Vienna, for a view of the entire city.  Kahlenberg is 484 meters high and lies in the northeastern foothills of the Eastern Alps.  The mountain lies in the Vienna Forest (Wienerwald), and was once home to numerous wild pigs (at one point it was actually called Schweinsberg, or Pig Mountain).

View of Austria from Kahlenberg on a Foggy Morning

The first castle that we visited, Schloss Schonbrunn (Schonbrunn Palace), is one of the most important monuments in all of Austria.  It boasts 1,441 rooms, and was once a Rococo summer residence.

Schonbrunn Palace from the Front.  As is the case with many of the palaces, the Schonbrunn's true beauty lies behind the castle, in the garden.

There are many sculptures in the Schonbrunn Garden, but none more magnificent than the Neptune Fountain, the crowning jewel of the Great Parterre (Schonbrunn Garden).  At the time we visited, the Garden had only been partially planted for the summer season.  Standing at the back of the palace and looking across the garden, visitors can see the Neptune Fountain at the bottom of a 60 meter hill, capped by the Gloriette (originally the palace was to be built on top of the hill).  From the fountain, visitors can see the view of the Great Parterre looking back towards the palace or the view of the Gloriette looking up the hill.

View of the Palace and Garden

Gloriette

Palace View from Hill

The hill up to the Gloriette was very steep (see photo above, looking towards the palace from halfway up the hill).  Maria Theresa wanted the Gloriette to be built to glorify the Habsburg Power and the Just War, and to use "otherwise useless stone" left over from the partial demolition of Schloss Neugebaude. Today Gloriette offers a cafe and a beautiful view of Vienna from it's highest point.

View from the Top of Gloriette:  Schonbrunn with the City of Vienna in the Background.

The Schonbrunn may be the biggest tourist attraction in the City of Vienna, but I actually preferred the second castle that we visited, Belvedere Palace.  The Belvedere actually consists of two Baroque palaces, the upper and lower Belvedere.

Upper Belvedere

Garden overlooking the Lower Belvedere, with the city in the background.

Prince Eugene of Savoy purchased the plot of the land that the Lower Belvedere was built on in 1697.  He was later able to purchase more of the surrounding land to add to the garden and build the Upper Belvedere.  Records indicate that construction on the upper palace began as early as 1712.

Foutain in the Belvedere Garden

Upper Belvedere

Looking toward Lower Belvedere

That evening, we went to the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic) to see the Muncher Symphoniker (Munich Symphony).

 

After the concert, we took the train back to Stephansplatz for ice cream on our last night in Vienna.

If you're planning a trip to Vienna, the trains are a great way to get around.  Our hotel, Hotel Lenas, was directly across the street from the Alser Strasse Station.  Hotel Lenas was not a 5-star experience, but it was decent, budget-friendly hotel (I read some negative reviews, but it seems that those reviewers were expecting to receive more than they paid for).

Vienna: St. Stephen's Cathedral and The Imperial Palace

City Park looking towards the Wien Rathaus (Vienna City Hall)

Vienna, Austria, a city rich with history, is often viewed as a mystical place with its beautiful palaces and parks, classic art and music scene, and exquisite food offerings.  The city is often regarded as the "City of Music," but is also sometimes referred to as the "City of Dreams" because it was home to the worlds first psycho-analyst, Sigmund Freud.

   

The earliest settlement in Vienna, and the location today's inner-city, was south of the Donau (Danube) River.  Today the city spans both sides of the river.  There is evidence of a continuous settlement in Vienna, "Wien" in German, as early as 500 BC.  The Romans fortified the city in 15 BC.  After, Vienna became the capital of the Austrian Empire in 1804 and remained the capital of what became the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  After WWII, Vienna was divided into four sectors, similar to Berlin, with one difference.  The central area, the first district, was considered an international zone.  Power of the zone rotated on a monthly basis and was constantly patrolled by the four powers, the "four soldiers in a jeep method."  Whereas the Russians put up blockades in Berlin in 1953, they relinquished their occupation zones in Eastern Austria and Vienna in 1955. (For more info, read my post on The Berlin Wall)

St. Stephen's Cathedral

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Stephansdom in German, rises into the sky and can't be missed by tourists walking into Stephansplatz.  The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral was initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339-1365), but stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first consecrated in 1147.

Inside Stephen's Cathedral

I wanted to believe that all of the color inside the church was a product of the beautiful stained glass windows, but unfortunately, the majority wasn't.  The color is projected throughout the interior of the church.

St. Stephen's massive south tower, standing at 445 ft, is its the highest point and dominant feature of the Vienna skyline.  Its construction lasted 65 years from 1368 to 1443.  It served as a watch tower during battle and has an apartment for the watchmen, who manned the tower at night and rang the bells if a fire was spotted until 1955.

South Tower at Night

The roof of St. Stephen's Cathedral, shown above, is covered by 230,000 glazed tiles.  Above the choir on the south side, the tiles depict the double headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna during the Habsburg dynasty.  On the north side, the tiles depict the coat of arms of the city of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria.

St. Stephen's Cathedral at Night

Many of the buildings in Vienna are constantly being cleaned and refurbished, and the cathedral is no exception.  The cathedral was being cleaned during our visit, and you can see the color difference between the front and the North side in the photo above.

Hofburg Palace - St. Michael's Wing

The Hofburg Palace is one of the most spectacular buildings (or I should say groups of buildings) in Vienna.  The Hofburg is the former imperial residence.  It has been the seat of many kings and emperors, including the Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation and the Emperor of Austria.  Today it is the official seat of the Austrian Federal President.

Neue Burg Wing

The Neue Burg (New Castle) was planned in the 1860's but wasn't completed until 1913.  The Neue Burg wing houses several museums as well as the reading rooms of the Austrian National Library and the Hofburg Congress Center.

 

Naturhistoriches Museum Wien

An Imperial Forum was planned with twin museums (Kunthistorisches and Naturhistorisches) as flanks.  The museums were completed in 1891, but the Imperial Forum was never completed because no real function could be found.  In it's place are Heldensplatz (Heroes Square) and Maria-Theresien-Platz (Maria Therese Square).

Statue in Maria-Theresien-Platz

Kunsthistoriches Museum

The two museums have identical exteriors and face each other across the Maria-Theresien-Platz.  The buildings are rectangular in shape and have domes that are 60 meters high.  The facades were built with sandstone.  Both museums opened in 1889.  

The Naturhistorisches Museum, Natural History Museum, in Vienna is one of the most important museums in the world.  The collections of artifacts were started over 250 years ago.  In 2011, the museum house around 30 million artifacts.  The museum was originally built to hold the huge collection of the Habsburgs.

The Kunsthistorisches Muesum is an art museum, referred to as the museum of art history or the fine arts museum.  This museum was commissioned by the emperor to hold the art collection of the Habsburgs and share it with the public.

Standing between the two massive, identical museums in the midst of their grandeur was quite amazing, as was seeing the Imperial Palace in general.  The detail, the artwork and the sheer size of the palace buildings is simply amazing.

 

The Vienna State Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper) dates back to the mid-19th century.  The Vienna State Opera is closely linked to the Vienna Philharmonic, whose members are recruited from the Vienna State Opera.

Wiener Staatsoper at Night

The Vienna State Opera is one of the busiest opera houses in the world (around 300 performances each year, including operas and ballets).  The opera house employs over 1,000 people and has an annual operating budget of approximately 100 million Euros (about half of which comes from a state subsidy).

The Wiener Staatsoper has become well known for its children's productions, which are performed in a tent on the roof of the Staatsoper.  In the afternoons, after regular school hours, the Staatsoper also has an opera school for girls and boys ages 8-14.

The Wiener Rathaus (City Hall) serves as the seat for the Mayor and the City Council.  It was built between 1872 and 1883.

Rathaus

Austrian Parliament Building

Rathaus Garden

Crossing the Border: Regensburg, Germany and Linz, Austria

Regensburg, Germany.  Notice the medieval Regensburg Stone Bridge, built from 1135-1146.

We had originally planned to spend our first travelling night in Nuremberg so that we could continue to explore the city the following morning.  Unfortunately, there was a festival going on in the city center, and we were not able to find a place to stay.  Instead, we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in the small town of Donauworth, along Germany's "Romantic Road."  It was a cute little place.  The lady who helped us spoke very little English, but she was really sweet.  Breakfast was good so all in all, it was a pretty good experience.

Donau Hotel Bed and Breakfast in Donauworth

Regensburg, Germany: The bed and breakfast was right off of the highway, and we didn't go into town.  Instead, we headed to Regensburg.  Regensburg is located at the meeting point of the Danube and Regen Rivers, west of the Bavarian Forest.

Regensburg City Center

The first settlement in Regensburg dates to the Stone Age.  The oldest name given to a settlement in the area was Radasbona, a Celtic name.  The romans built a fort in Regensburg around 90 AD.  During WWII, Regensburg was home to an aircraft manufacture and an oil refinery.  They were bombed by the Allies on August 17, 1943 and again on February 5, 1945.

Dom - Regensburg Cathedral

Regensburg Cathedral from the side.

Dom, the Regensburg Cathedral is a pure example of German Gothic and is counted as the main Gothic work in Bavaria.  It was founded in 1275 and completed in 1634, with the exception of the towers.  The towers were completed in 1869.

  

 

The yellow building is the Church of Saint Michaels

Linz, Austria:  After a quick walk around Regensburg, we continued across the border.  I was really surprised at how easy it was to cross the border.  Crossing from Germany to Austria is basically like crossing the Florida/Georgia border.  We did have to stop at the border to purchase the required toll sticker for driving in Austria, but if we already had the sticker, we wouldn't have been required to stop. This is true within the European Union.

Our first stop in Austria was in the city of Linz.  Linz is the third largest city in Austria and is located on the Danube River.  The city was founded by the Romans who called it Lentia.  It was first recorded with the name Linz in AD 799.  Linz was home to Johannes Kepler and Anton Bruckner.  The city was also Adolf Hitler's home for much of his youth.

St. Mary's Church in Linz, Austria

One of the highlights of Linz is the St. Mary's Church.  Construction of St. Mary's Church (Mariendom) began in 1862.  The church was originally called, New Cathedral (Neurer Dom) and was consecrated as Mariendom in 1924 by the bishop Johannes Maria Gfollner.  With 20,000 seats, it is the largest church in Austria, though it is not the tallest.  The originally planned higher spire was not allowed because, at the time, no church in Austria-Hungary was allowed to be taller than the South Tower of the St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

 

The aforementioned Stephen's Cathedral is quite spectacular.  Post to come soon!